“When he came to get me, I was still afraid and we had a long talk and I realized I’d be a werewolf and change one day. And I learned that even when he was a wolf, he was still my daddy and he never stopped loving me. Then he let me pet him.”
“You got to pet him?” Lucy asked, the thought intriguing. “Really?”
“Yep, he’s soft and when you look in his eyes, you can see it’s the same Daddy there. Before we moved here, he took me and the boys out squirrel chasing and all sorts of stuff only wolves can do. He’s really not scary, Lucy, and I bet he didn’t mean to scare you, just like he never meant to scare me.”
Jessie’s words humbled Lucy. Someone so young seemed to understand exactly what had happened and, with Jessie’s words, Lucy knew more than ever that she needed to make amends. She didn’t know if she could pursue a relationship with Scott, that might be too much, but there was no reason why she couldn’t be civil and friendly.
“Well, let’s go have breakfast, okay? I’ll talk to your dad and we’ll get all of this figured out.”
“Really? Breakfast? Mmm, I smell bacon.”
“You smell three pounds of bacon. After the way you guys ate last night, I wanted to make sure there was enough for everyone.”
Chapter 8
He was scum. He was the bottom feeder that ate scum and rolled in the droppings. Scaring Lucy—there could be nothing worse. Scott shuffled around the kitchen, wincing when he bent to take the carton of eggs out of the fridge. He needed another day of downtime, but since he wasn’t going to get it, food would help. The kids would eat, he would eat, and hopefully they could take it easy. He’d have to go find his truck sometime, but for today he’d give Lucy space and stay home to lick his wounds.
He set aside the eggs, needing coffee to even face the actual making of the meal. Maybe it was time to let Greg and Ross start handling a little cooking.
“Daddy! Lucy brought breakfast!”
He jerked, cursing his distraction. He should have been paying more attention. Lucy could have been anyone and they could have done anything to Jessie while he’d been in his stupid pity party. He couldn’t believe Lucy was there, but she stood beside Jessie with her hands full of amazing-smelling boxes.
“Hi, Scott. I thought you guys might be hungry.”
The boys’ stomachs growled from their bedroom, where he’d sent them to get dressed, and his own stomach rumbled as well. She must have heard because she smiled and walked closer, setting the containers on the counter. “Go ahead and get a plate, there’s plenty for everyone. I ordered enough for ten people.”
Which meant it would feed a few werewolves, so Scott would wait until the kids ate. Lucy smiled as she fussed around the kitchen. Fear dwelled in the air, a wariness previously not present, but she was there. He wasn’t about to look the gift horse in the mouth.
“I’m glad you’re here. And thanks for bringing breakfast.”
“Of course. You need to sit down. You look dead on your feet.”
Her concern warmed him to his toes and he did as she said, grabbing plates and bringing them to the table with him. The nurturing part of her made him want to be stronger and protect her from every little thing. The intensity of those urges surprised him, but he thought he could get used to them. Lucy and Jessie followed with the food and milk.
“Did you want coffee, Scott?”
“Ah, yeah. That would be great.”
She’d come back, but everything that had felt so natural between them before now felt horribly awkward. Her discomfort beat at him to the point he knew he’d do anything, promise anything to make things right. The boys hurried in, nearly buzzing with tension as they sat. They knew about Lucy running away and they, like him, didn’t know why she was back. They weren’t about to get their hopes up.
“Lucy, how about we take our food out to the porch?” he asked after all three kids had their plates full. She must have ordered more than she’d said because there was enough to fill even his plate.
“Sure. Let me grab some coffee and I’ll join you.”
She had guts, he thought, and hobbled to the front of the house, giving the kids a last warning look to behave. There was plenty of food, though, so they’d be fine for a while. If he and Lucy were outside, then hopefully the kids would respect their privacy.
He sat on one of the chairs and pulled the other one from behind the toy box. Sitting on the hard deck wasn’t where he wanted to be and he certainly didn’t want her on the floor either. With only coffee in hand, she sat beside him, not even pushing the chair away. That had to be a good sign. He waited for her to say something, but when she simply sipped at her coffee, he figured he’d have to make the first step.
“So. What made you come back?”
There was no use dancing around the subject. She couldn’t ignore the facts any more than he could ignore her discomfort.
“I was worried the kids would be hungry.” She took another sip of her coffee. “And I don’t know. I had a chance to actually think and I realized you’d never threatened or tried to hurt me. Those things counted for me more than me being afraid of what…well, what you are.”
“Which is a werewolf,” he said, and sighed. “I’m not sorry for what I am, Lucy. This is the way I was born and, honestly, I really like it. And you’re right, I didn’t threaten you and would never threaten or try to hurt you. Most werewolves would say the same thing. We’re like humans in many ways. We take family a little more seriously, have better senses and a few other little perks.”
“Like turning into wolves,” she said.
“Shifting is probably the best perk.”
She drank more coffee and he took a few bites of eggs in the meantime. There was no use rushing the conversation. She was back to smelling patient, so being near her calmed him. More than content, he had the huge urge to make her happy any way he could, which meant not pushing her.
“My grandma took in all kinds of kids. She was my mother’s mother, so I was actually her granddaughter, but the others, she loved them the same. It didn’t matter what their history was or what color they were, she saw them as another child to love, another soul to be nurtured. She tried really hard to teach me, but I don’t always do a good job.”
“You do fine,” he protested. “You looked at a big jerk like me and found a reason to be kind after I’d been an ass.”
“Well, your daughter is adorable, Scott, so that’s not all you.” She finally had a little humor in her voice and it was music to his ears.
“Anyway, I hope you’ll forgive me for running away from you and I hope we can still be friends. I don’t know the werewolf rules or whatever, but I have come to really enjoy our friendship.”
Friends. Twice. He figured that meant it was going to take some work to get her back to thinking romantically about him. The meetings of the last few weeks had built on each other, giving him more confidence. What grew inside his heart was something he needed to pursue. He wanted to be with Lucy and make her smile. He would do a whole lot more than make her smile if she let him. But, hell, she was sitting beside him and that was more than half the battle as far as he was concerned.
“Of course you’re forgiven for running away. Hell, if you’d turned into a gerbil or something, I’d have probably run. There are certain rules of thumb about werewolf and human relations, but I’m a relative lone wolf with my kids at this point, so I certainly don’t have a problem being…friends with you.”
She must have heard the inflection on friends because she turned to him with narrow eyes. He grinned, almost hoping she’d call him on it. Instead, her freckled cheeks turned slightly pink and she took another drink of coffee.
“If we’re going to be friends, I’d appreciate you getting some tea or something other than coffee and whole milk to drink,” she said so primly he had to laugh again.
“Okay, that’s fair enough.” He held out his hand. “We’ll keep up this friend thing we’ve got going and I’ll do my part to make sure you have
something you like here when you visit.”
She took his hand, shaking it professionally. “And I’ll do my best not to get squeamish when I think about you changing into a wolf.”
“That’s all I’m asking. If we can do those two little things, I have no doubt we’ll make this friendship a good thing.”
Chapter 9
Friends. With a werewolf.
Lucy took a sip of the flat, flavorless tea Scott had brought her when she stopped by. It was truly awful, but he’d been so darn proud, which meant she’d drink the whole cup and pray he didn’t offer seconds.
The boys and Jessie played on the swingset in the evening sun. The bars were far more reinforced than any play equipment she’d played on as a child, but then again, she hadn’t been a werewolf. Again with the wolf thing. She wasn’t going to let the new detail get to her. She’d made a point not to stay away for very long. There was no reason for them to think she didn’t want to spend time with them, especially the kids. She’d already promised Jessie the truth didn’t scare her and Lucy had every intention of believing that until it finally stuck as gospel.
“You aren’t getting ready to run again, are you?”
She started at the sudden appearance of Ross. He was such a cute little boy, but freaky fast, which was now explained by him being a werewolf. He also had a very sensitive heart and, once again, Lucy resolved herself not to be afraid of the family.
“Nope,” she answered, setting aside her cup. “I am still getting used to the fact that you and your family are different from me, but you know what? Different can be wonderful and since I already think you and your brother and sister are great, the rest will all come together.”
He nodded, more thoughtful for a boy his age than she’d have guessed, but he was Scott’s son. Scott was the kind of man who seemed to really think and the trait had probably passed to all of his children.
“Because my grandma is like us, but we scare her. She won’t let us near her anymore because we’re different. I don’t want to like you if you’re going to be like her.”
Her heart broke right in half. Lucy had heard dozens of sob stories and seriously sad things in her life, but Ross’s bleak confession, whispered for her ears only, made her want to cry. Instead she scooted over on the bench and tugged the boy to her chest. “I’m so sorry she made you feel bad, sweetheart. I understand if it takes a while for us to be friends, I really do, so you just take your time if you need it.”
His skinny arms wrapped around her and Lucy knew the little guy wasn’t one to hold back. She wondered when the last time someone other than his dad had hugged him. Scott didn’t withhold affection with any of the kids. She assumed it was the same for boys as it had been for her as a girl. She’d loved her grandma, but Lucy had wanted a daddy-type person to hug and love her as well. Maybe Ross was hoping for the same thing in a way and, premature as it was, Lucy wasn’t about to push him away because if nothing else, she was going to be friends with the family.
“Okay,” he muttered and, as if he hadn’t been snuggling with her, he took off.
Her foster brothers had been similar, she thought, picking her tea up and wincing after taking a sip. Eric and Jeff—they’d been good boys who had needed love like nothing else and she hoped what they’d got in her grandmother’s home was enough. She’d done her best to love them like they were her own big brothers. Maybe she should call them.
The last time she’d seen anyone except her sister Jennifer had been at Grandma’s funeral. Everyone was so busy and she didn’t want to be the one to drag them back if the sad memories were keeping them away.
“How’s the tea?”
She looked away from the kids playing and smiled at Scott. He’d invited her over on his way home from work and had apologized before jumping into the shower when he’d thought he smelled. She certainly hadn’t noticed and would never had said anything if she had, but she wasn’t going to argue with the results. His dress slacks were gone, replaced with snug jeans and an equally tight black T-shirt. If he’d looked a little tense after his long day, it was gone and the best part, his feet were bare. Adorable.
“The tea is fine, thanks,” she said, but didn’t make the mistake of picking it up again.
He looked at her through narrowed eyes and she hoped he didn’t catch her in the tiny fib. What if the books are true? What if he can smell dishonesty?
“So, the whole werewolf thing. I think I need more information on...everything.”
He nodded. “Go ahead, hit me with your questions.”
“Well.” There was so much. Where to start? “Which author has it right? Are you guys, like, bloodthirsty and controlled by the moon or something?”
He laughed. “No one’s got it quite right. If you go by the books and movies, we’re way more exciting than we actually are. The moon thing is basically false. It’s more of a tradition for first changes to happen for the youths during the full moon than anything. We can change at will, it doesn’t hurt and it’s one of those things that is good for our wellbeing. I’ve heard of some Weres going for years without changing with no adverse affects.”
“And the other night in the living room?”
“The other night I had a fever. Sometimes a quick change is enough to shock our system out of sickness and I took a chance. I’m sorry again for scaring you.”
She waved her hand and automatically reached for her tea, but stopped herself before drinking. “Don’t worry about that. Tell me more about you guys. Do you have packs?”
He was quiet a long moment and she wondered if she’d hit a sore spot. If the kids’ grandmother had disowned them, maybe there was some discord in the family.
“We’re supposed to,” he finally said. “At the moment, me and the kids are technically lone wolves. It’s kind of a long story.”
She waited. She had time for the story if he wanted to share it, but she wasn’t going to press him if he wasn’t inclined.
“The thing with us… Well, I might as well start from the beginning. Weres have always been immune to basic illness, including mental illness. We don’t get depressed, don’t have schizophrenia or ADHD or anything like that. We don’t watch for it because it doesn’t happen. Somehow it did with my mate. Something in her just…snapped.
“She was always distant with Jessie, but I attributed that to them both being females. I didn’t have sisters, so the dynamic of female relationships was lost on me. Then one day she lost it. She’d been having an affair—which is a huge taboo in Were culture—and instead of leaving me, she decided to kill me and the kids.”
She gasped. Whatever she could have imagined didn’t come close to what she was hearing. No wonder Ross was so sad and conflicted. The poor baby. They were all poor babies.
“And that’s not normal. I can’t stress that enough. Mother wolves are awesome. As a rule, they’re loving and nurturing. They might not be the most affectionate or indulgent, but they are good to their pups. Tiffany’s actions were so heinous she was killed. My mother came and saved the kids while Tiffany’s new boyfriend was trying to kill me. Damn it, this all sounds so bad…”
“It’s okay, get it all out, Scott. If you say it’s a fluke, I’ll believe you because I can see you’re a wonderful father. I’m sure most parents are as loving and generous.”
He nodded and blew out a deep breath. “Thanks. Anyway, after the big blow up—none of the kids were hurt, thank God—my family backed completely away from us. I was hurt and, honestly, what could I say about Tiffany? She was nuts and if she’d been anyone else’s mate, I wouldn’t have wanted her near my family. I didn’t see the banishment for the rest of us coming.”
“Why did they kick you all out?” she asked. “I’d think with the threat gone and all of you needing help that your family would close ranks and help keep you all safe.”
“I thought so too.” His sad smile made her heart clench. He took a long drink of his beer. “My mom and dad came to me in the hospital—”
&n
bsp; “Hospital? I thought you were super strong.”
“Yeah, well, the other guy didn’t make it, but he took a chunk out of my spine before he finally died.”
“Oh, Scott.”
“Anyway, I had to have bolts put in so I could stay upright long enough to heal. While I was in surgery, the pack voted us out. My mom and dad brought the kids to the hospital the morning after the attack and left them with me. Mom said they were tainted and couldn’t be trusted within the pack.”
“Tainted. Oh no.”
He nodded. “Yep. So they stayed with me in the hospital and after I was well enough to leave, we headed here. There’s a pack in Haven, Pennsylvania. They’re a good bunch and they’re considering us for membership into their pack but, hell, they’re in the same boat as our home pack was. If the mental thing is hereditary…”
“It could be so many other things,” Lucy protested. “Punishing a child for something that might happen is ridiculous. You’re better off without those mongrels.”
“I’d agree most days, but it’s hard to be without pack, especially for the young ones. They’re so reliant on instinct at this point and they know they should be surrounded by family and other Weres showing them how to act. They’ve only got me.”
No wonder he protected the kids so fiercely and sometimes looked like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. The future of the three kids did and, in his world, if he was gone, they’d have nobody. The foster system for people was cruel and sad at times, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be like for a werewolf pup.
She reached across the patio table and rested her hand over Scott’s. “The kids are so lucky to have you. They know how much you love them and when that’s right, everything else lines up, with time.”
He smiled at her and turned his hand so they were palm to palm. “I heard what Ross said to you. Thanks for being so kind. I think we’re all missing nice females in our lives. You’re right, I love them and do my best to show it, but when a good female, when one like you is near… Well, we’ve never been lucky enough to have a female like you in our lives. You’re one in a million, Lucy.”
Unraveling Midnight Page 6